Return of the Beast
by zimeatspotatoes
Summary: Beast Boy is changing, perhaps not in a bad way...until Spring rolls around. Oh the birds and the bees. And the Beast? BBxRae, rated T for a teensy bit of sexual content to come.
1. Prologue: Spring Cleaning

Hello! Well it's nearing the end of Christmas break and I felt a little inspired. It's great to be a second semester senior!

And as a reminder: "Speech" has parenthesis and _thoughts_ are italicized.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any part of Teen Titans.

**Summary**: Beast Boy is changing, perhaps not in a bad way...until Spring rolls around. Oh the birds and the bees. And the Beast? BBxRae, rated T for a teensy bit of sexual content to come.

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Return of the Beast

_Prologue: _

"Spring Cleaning"

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o – o – o – o

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It was that time of year again. Little daffodils had popped up from the ground, almost singing as they bloomed golden. Starfire was outside, carrying her flowery watering pail and humming as she cared for the little blossoms.

Spring was approaching.

A pleasant breeze blew, mirroring the activities inside the Titans' beloved home. Ah yes, spring cleaning once again. Cyborg running through the house, shining everything as he went, cheery whistling sounds through the air, and the wafting smell of air fresheners. It had been a Titan's tradition, ever since they got attacked by that wild mold after all. Have to keep things hygienic!

"Yo! Where's the vacuum cleaner?" Cyborg's shiny head appeared from his room, brow furrowed.

"I thought you had it!" Robin replied, also confused "It's not in the girls' rooms…so where?"

"I've got it!" A voice squeaked from across the hall. It sounded busy, diligent.

"What?!" The two looked at each other. He couldn't be…

They followed the voice to his room, jaws dropping in unison as they saw what a sane human being ought never to see.

There he was, shoveling away, hairnet and rubber gloves in place. He was turned around, shovel in hand. Three unbelievably large bins, labeled "Keep", "Donate", and "Trash", stood in the corner. He hadn't seen them come in, surprisingly enough.

Beast Boy was cleaning. And not just any cleaning. Beast Boy was **cleaning**.

"Man, what are you _doing_?"

The green teen stopped, ears perking up as he turned around.

"Oh, hi guys," He smiled, rubbing the back of his head in a cutesy manner "Well it's kind of a funny story actually…uhh…Raven gave me the bin idea!"

The two exchanged a look. His smile drooped a little, and he sighed. They didn't seem as happy as he was.

"Well, I was going grocery shopping at Soy Lovers last week. The usual rounds. I had just finished picking up the soy milk when I noticed a $50 at the bottom of the cart. I thought, hey, maybe someone lost it. So I asked around, and nobody found it, so the lady at the front told me to keep it."

"And?"

"AND I decided to put it to good use!" Beast Boy strode over to the corner, where a suspiciously large object was hiding under a sheet.

"What's that?"

With a _woosh_, he uncovered what seemed to be a large tunneling structure designed for hamsters and other rodents. The thing was tall, shiny, and colorful, almost reaching the ceiling. Each piece of tube had been carefully screwed in, and was at least a foot in diameter. Cyborg let out a low whistle.

"You **built** that?"

"Well I bought the pieces and assembled it, which kind of took a really long time. That's sort of why I needed to borrow your power drill a couple days ago…I'll go out and get summore nails for you if you'd-"

"But what IS it?"

"It's a present for Silkie! I mean, Silkie's been living here for six months now and…it's like uhm, those things they put hamsters in! I mean, since the whole incident with Killer Moth, I haven't really gotten to spend time with the little guy. You think Star'll mind if Silkie stays in my room every so often?"

"Yeah but-"

"I DID adopt him after all."

It was silent for two straight minutes.

_Huh, maybe they didn't get it._

"UHH, Cy can I talk to you?" Robin whispered, his voice straining a little. Cyborg nodded.

The two turned around, heading for the ops center. Beast Boy shrugged and went on cleaning.

"What is up with him, man? Cleaning? Spending free money on Silkie? Last time I knew his life's dream was a moped and pretty girls. Is this even Beast Boy?"

"Now wait a second," Robin replied, rubbing his chin "Maybe he's being authentic, and we're just getting worked up. I mean, people change right?"

"I dunno man-"

"All I'm saying is, let's give it a shot. Maybe…he's different or something. You know?"

"Like…growing up?"

"Yeah. Like recently. After…you know?" Robin fumbled.

"Terra," Cyborg sighed, crossing his arms "I just hope he hasn't _changed_ changed,"

"He seems happy…"

"Yeah…and he's still…him I guess,"

The two paused, not knowing what else to say. They turned back to Beast Boy's room.

Maybe their BB was really growing up…

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R&R guys, you know what to do!


	2. Chapter 1: Transformation

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any part of Teen Titans.

**Summary**: Beast Boy is changing, perhaps not in a bad way...until Spring rolls around. Oh the birds and the bees. And the Beast? BBxRae, rated T for a teensy bit of sexual content to come.

As a reminder, this fic is set AFTER "Things Change", so basically we're at the post-Season 5 era.

By the way, my main goal in this fic is too keep the characters _in character_, so criticism is very helpful! I've been watching old episodes, looking up fanart and such to inspire me. So I really do care about constructive criticism.

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Return of the Beast

_Chapter 1_

"Transformation"

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o – o – o – o

"Ahhh! Looks like I'm almost done!" Beast Boy cheered, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Beast Boy?!"

"Oh. Hi Star!"

"What is the matter friend?"

"Uhh…?"

"Are you cold, tired, hungry, sleepy-" Starfire circled around him, as if looking for some sign of distress. She somehow managed to take his blood pressure while jamming a thermometer under his tongue.

"Stahwrifine!" He garbled.

"Then…how is it that your room is so, so…?"

"Clean?" Beast Boy replied, spitting out the thermometer.

"YES! Clean! How is it so clean if you are so…" Messy? Disorganized? Unhygienic at times…? Then again…

"Look Star, I found $50 while I was shopping and no one claimed it, so I used the money to build this for Silkie!" he summarized with a winning smile, to which Starfire stared at blankly for a few moments.

"So then…you are not ill?"

"YES…I MEAN NO I'm fine!" Beast Boy squealed from inside a hug only alien strength could provide.

She turned away for a moment, cogs turning in her head. Beast Boy had fibbed about things in the past, so it was possible that he could be pulling something. Recently though…ever since Terra had "returned"…he had changed somehow. He was still recognizable, with his sharp-toothed grin and corny jokes. He still complained about the dishes sometimes, but every so often you could find him scrubbing away by the sink after dinner. He _usually_ slept in, but it became increasingly common to find a bright cock-a-doodle-doo announcing the arrival of the sun. He paid visits to the old rubble where Terra had stood, but not in mourning. He talked to her, anywhere from ten minutes up to three hours. He looked to her, perhaps once a month (more or less often depending on his mood) for advice and guidance. No longer in memorial, but as a friend once again.

"I shall help you," She replied with a soft smile. His green eyes shone.

He was moving on.

And the two went to work.

- - - - -

Raven floated silently down the hall, not even the rustle of her cloaks breaking the pin-drop quiet. But from what was going on inside, she could have been merrily whistling. Beast Boy's sudden maturity had put her in a good mood. For once, he wasn't ranting about meat contamination, the next greatest ninja monkey video game, or his great desire to get a brand new moped. Oddly enough, he seemed to be the same jovial Titan, as he had been. It was as if all the annoyances had been sucked out with a syringe, and all that was left were his brighter characteristics.

_It's about time_, Raven thought as her lips pulled into a smirk.

She drifted into the ops center, and found her fellow Titans Robin and Cyborg huddled together on the couch and whispering. So intently was their whispering that they apparently had not heart the gentle _woosh_ as the heavy doors had opened to let Raven in. She raised a slender eyebrow, catching mutterings of _Terra_ and _growing up_. Reading their thoughts, she felt a little pang inside of her.

She cleared her throat, hoping to break the silence. Her efforts proved futile, as they continued their mutterings. A little annoyed but sympathetic, she decided to make herself some herbal tea until they broke from their stupor.

Neither the _clack_ of pots and pans nor the gentle _fshhahh_ of boiling water gave way to notice. Raven and her tea stewed in silence, testing them.

"Robin? Cyborg?"

The two raised their heads, finally acknowledging her. Their brows were furrowed, and they looked as if they had been worried over something for quite awhile.

_Well obviously they had been_, Raven mentally corrected herself, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. The TV hummed in the background, occasionally screeching a car ad or something similar and of little use.

"Look Raven-" Cyborg began

"I know."

"…yeah."

"So what do you think?" Robin, for once, seemed without answers. Cyborg drooped as well, confused. Robin always had something up his sleeve, but at the moment all three of them were drawing a blank. They thought back, back to what had changed in their friend. For the past four weeks, in fact. Ever since Terra…or whoever she was now. Ever since that day, something triggered inside of him that made it all click. They put themselves in his shoes. He told them about their adventures, murmuring "things change…" every so often for the next couple of weeks. Slowly but surely, his lined brow began to loosen. He started up video games, and tofu arguments, and even the pervasive odor of his room weaned a little. He had been trying too hard, perhaps. And maybe it became easier when he just let go…

"I think," Raven began "Maybe this might be something we'll just have to wait and see on. Maybe it's something…"

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

_THUMP. _

And at that precise moment a very loud roar erupted from above, right around-

Fifteen and a half seconds later, a giant animal burst through the ops center doors, Starfire clutched tightly around its neck and flailing about, after what seemed to be her attempt at calming the thing.

"_ROAAAAR!!_"

And none other than the Beast himself erupted with this roar, turning to sniff at the floor for a moment before continuing. The previous tension that had infiltrated the room seemed to evaporate. It was as if they had gotten their answer and yet been presented with a whole new set of questions.

"What the-" Cyborg yelled

"Beast Boy!?" Robin likewise.

"AAAHH!" Starfire screeched, trying to tame the animal. He bucked like a mechanical bull, pounding into the ops center and landing on the center table, Starfire still clinging. He shook, though not out of anger, and attempted to pry Starfire off. His mane shook, and he bared his teeth as a warning. Still on the edge, he growled as if in frustration.

"Starfire," The voice was Raven's. And at her voice the Beast's breathing slowed instantly. The two made eye contact. The center table rasped as the Beast shifted his weight and turned to look at Raven, still composed and unmoving.

"I-"

"Don't panic." She continued calmly from the edge of the couch, causing the others to stare at her like she was crazy. **Don't panic? **Beast Boy had been acting strangely for the past month, and suddenly transforms without a word, and she says not to _panic_? It obviously made logical sense, but at the time the idea was just bizarre.

At the same time they trusted Raven, who from past encounters was clearly closest to the Beast. Starfire slowly let go, making sure to not say a word.

"Slowly…slowly," Raven reached out her hand slightly while muttering to Starfire. The other two sat in silence. The table creaked, and finally broke, but the two did not break eye contact. Cyborg refrained from cursing; that was going to take three hours to repair! The Beast lowered onto the carpet, and carefully padded towards Raven's hand. His eyes were still on Raven, but his other senses and especially his ears were still turned to the other three Titans. One ear was constantly focused on Robin, who he still didn't have complete trust for.

Head low, he stalked forward cautiously until his nose touched the palm of her hand. He then let out a blood-curdling howl. Raven managed not to flinch, but the same could not be said for the others, who nearly wet their pants at the sudden outcry.

Suddenly, the Beast lowered his head in a bow to the half-demon. Everyone else carried a look of utter surprise and confusion save Raven, but she understood and crossed her legs, floating forward. For once the Beast's resolve weakened. He backed up nervously, landing on his rear, ears flat against his head.

"I've gained his respect," Raven finally spoke "Now I'm going to get in his head."

The other three nodded dumbly in response, not wanting to break the intense tension.

"Azerath metrion zinthos…"

Raven searched inside, expecting two opposing voices. Inside that Beast, however, she only found one. In the very center. Only one voice with whom she struggled to gain connection to.

_Beast Boy, Beast Boy…_ She asked in her mental state.

Silence. Then a rumble. Then a giant wave began. Raven had stumbled upon something.

_Beast Boy, where are you?!_ She was starting to get frustrated again and struggled to keep her cool. It was as if she was in darkness. Objects appeared and disappeared, and yet always she could feel the voice at the center.

_Raven…_ it called to her, curious.

Finally she found the voice. Searching, searching…in the darkness once more.

And a burst of memories shot forth. A hospital, a sinking boat, two smiling faces.

_Raven…Raven…_ the voice came in anguish now. It came as a plea.

From where the voice came, she knew not.

_Where are you?_ She cried as far as her voice could carry, all the while trying to overcome the flood of memories. A little boy stealing jewels…

The base shook. And then a _woosh_, and she was back to reality.

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_I know_, it's a cliff. But hey, what did you expect? We're only getting started brah.

R&R!


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